


Heart so full, hands to hold

by Multifandom_damnation



Category: Stargirl (TV 2020)
Genre: Affectionate Insults, Best Friends, Bickering, Domestic Fluff, Families of Choice, Gen, Napping, Paranoia, Pat Dugan is a Good Dad, Protective Team, Sleep Deprivation, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:13:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29398182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Multifandom_damnation/pseuds/Multifandom_damnation
Summary: The angry closed-off delinquent. The once-popular scandalous outcast. The quirky new-girl with a chirpy demeanour.Is this what she had been missing all these years? That deep loneliness inside her that she had never managed to shake, that weighed her down like an anchor all her life? Is this what it was like to be happy?
Relationships: Beth Chapel & Yolanda Montez & Rick Tyler & Courtney Whitmore
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Heart so full, hands to hold

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't really sure where I wanted this fic to go other than simple bonding and bickering and loving insults, but it sorta began with Beth so it finished with Beth. I did make Court a little paranoid in this, but it feels like i's warranted after everything they've been through, and she just really loves her friends OK? But I hope you guys enjoy it! I like the finished product.

After the defeat of the ISA, it became clear that the Pit Stop had automatically become the kid's designated hang-out place.

It was perfect, really. After school, they would all walk to the Pit Stop instead of returning to their respective households, and they would study and hang out and train together as Pat worked on the cars while basking their lively presence. It was a win-win situation for all of them.

This afternoon, Pat was already elbow-deep inside the hood of a ratty old Magna, the paint-job a faded mint-green and the felt interior literally falling apart through the dirty windows when Courtney and Yolanda walked in. He waved at them absently before returning to grumbling heatedly at the engine.

The girls crossed the garage and sat together on the table Pat had installed just for them, and got comfortable on the benches by adding pillows from the basket. There were already a couple of bags on the table in various states of care, and it was obvious that Rick and Beth had finished a lesson early and had already made their way over.

It probably took them longer than it should have to notice Beth standing on the opposite side of the shop, all by herself, leaning against a series of crates and looking out into the distance with her head tilted to the side.

"What is she _looking_ at?" Yolanda hissed to Courtney.

"I don't know," Courtney replied before she called out, "Hey Beth! What are you doing over there?"

Immediately, Beth hushed them, sending worried glances at something beyond their field of vision. A moment later, she waved them over, and they climbed from their seats and left their things to join her. 

"What are you doing over here, Beth?" Courtney whispered. as they scuttled to her side.

"And why are we _whispering_?" Yolanda added.

Beth didn't answer right away but just stared pensively in that same darkened corner. "He's asleep. I just really don't want to wake him up."

Confused, Courtney and Yolanda exchanged a glance before they followed Beth's gaze. In the furthest section of the dark corner, hidden partially by boxes and equipment was Rick, spread out like a lazy cat lounging languidly in the sunlight, lying on a workbench. His shirt had ridden up and a bare patch of skin was revealed on his torso, his skin covered in already healing bruises, yellowed and dark around the edges. His hourglass hung heavy around his neck. 

Even in sleep, his eyebrows were still pinched with tension, his mouth pressed together in a harsh line, as if in the throes of a distressing dream.

After a moment of surprised silence, Yolanda was the first to speak. "Wow, I don't think I've ever seen that before. He almost looks peaceful. Or, at east, not angry for once."

Tilting her head, Courtney considered him appraisingly. "Why does it feel like I'm missing something here?"

When Beth didn't answer, they simultaneously turned to look at her. She was looking at him with a soft, unreadable expression. "He called me last night," she said. "He went out to the warehouse district after his uncle passed out, and he trained with the hourglass. Lifting things, punching things, throwing things. He told me that he ran into a wall and he managed to get half-way through it in one go."

Blinking, Courtney looked sharply back to where Rick was still sleeping soundly. "He trained without us? Why would he do that?"

Shrugging half-heartedly, Beth ran a hand through her hair. "He said something about not wanting to hurt us when we train together, so he wanted to test out his strength and durability in a place where he doesn't have to worry about us."

"Uh," Yolanda interrupted. "Did you hear the part where he ran into a brick wall and got half-way through? Because that's _cool_."

"No, I did hear it," Courtney said. "But I also heard the part where he doesn't want to train with us using his hourglass because he doesn't want to hurt us," she returned her attention to Beth. "How long was he out there for?"

"Only an hour, because of the time constraint," Beth said haltingly as she thought. "But he had to wait for his uncle to fall asleep. He texted me at three in the morning, so he probably got home around four-ish."

"And he got up at... what?" Courtney demanded. "Six? Seven?"

Laughing, Yolanda elbowed her in the side. Courtney pouted and swatted her away. "Calm down, Court. Stop worrying about him so much. That's Pat's job, remember?"

"He did look pretty tired today," Beth conceded. "We hung out a lot at school between sessions. I could tell that he was exhausted, but he was smiling for once, so I didn't bring it up."

"I don't like it," Courtney shook her head. "I really don't like it."

"I think you're over-reacting a little bit," Beth defended, which was unexpected coming from her. "I mean, it was just one night. It's not like it's going to happen all the time."

"But what if it _does_?" Courtney hissed. "Not only is it bad for the team, but it's bad for his _health_."

"Calm down," Yolanda tried to soothe. "I know that you're taking this leadership thing very seriously, but he can take care of himself. He's been doing it for most of his life, anyway."

But Courtney still didn't look convinced. "I don't know. One of us should have been with him, at least."

"In his defence," Beth said. "I _was_ on the phone with him the whole time he was out there."

Ultimately, Courtney relented. She looked back to Rick snoring slightly with his face buried in the bad he was using as a pillow and drool crusted across his chin. "I guess you're right. I just don't like the idea of something happening to him when he's all alone. I worry about that happening to any of us. We've just got to work out a way to make sure that we're all included in our training sessions so that nobody has to go out and do that."

With all their bickering, they hadn't noticed that the sounds of car repairs and frustrated cursing and perplexed muttering had ceased, and Pat now made his way over to them for a much-needed break. "Hey, ladies," he greeted, wiping his hands on a rag. "Why are you being all hush-hush over here? Where's Rick gone?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Courtney jerked her chin to where Rick was sleeping. "He's taking a nap."

Pat actually looked surprised as he followed her gaze. "Napping? _Here_? You sound upset, but isn't that a good thing? It means that he feels safe and comfortable enough around us that he can just fall asleep on my workbench."

"He went out last night to the warehouse district and practised with the hourglass on brick walls," she told him.

"Right, Pat, help us settle a debate," Yolanda said. "Courtney thinks that Rick put himself in danger by going out alone, but Beth and I don't think it's such a big deal."

"Well, as the resident adult who is constantly worried about four reckless super-powered children with no brain cells, you may be over-reacting just a little bit," Pat laughed as he reached out and ruffled Courtney's hair, much to her distaste. "But I do think that I'll have to find some way to adapt your training to accommodate his use of the hourglass. I would rather him practice here with us than somewhere alone where he might be seen, even late at night."

Rolling her eyes, Courtney was about to complain that he said _exactly_ what she was trying to get at, but she didn't get the chance. "I think he might be worried about hurting one of us," Beth said. "Which is why he did it all alone."

"In that case, it's a good thing that S.T.R.I.P.E doesn't get hurt very easily," Pat said simply. He looked back at Rick, who had thrown his arm over his face, and smiled. "He doesn't look quite as angry when he's asleep, you know."

He walked away, patting Beth on the shoulder as he passed, and tossed the rag aside. He moved to Rick's side, grabbed him by the ankle and shook him. Rick shot upright, blinking rapidly, one hand up in a defensive position closed in a fist and the other wrapped tightly around the hourglass.

"Hey, sleepy-head," Pat smiled at him. Rick slowly lowered himself back down out of the curl-up he accidentally preformed. "I'm not paying you to slack off."

"You're not paying me at all," Rick replied lightly as he sat up totally and rubbed at his eyes. For a moment, he almost looked like a kid again. "What time is it?"

"Not too late. Ten-to-four," Pat checked his watch. "You sure you're OK, kid? You don't normally fall asleep in the middle of the day."

"Fine," Rick yawned. "Just had a long night. Not enough sleep."

"What did you expect?" Yolanda teased. "He operates on rage, spite and bad alcohol. When he's depleted, he shuts down like a wind-up toy."

"Hanging out with you bunch of goody-two-shoes isn't good for my health then," Rick shot back. Yolanda scoffed and rolled her eyes, but they were both smiling. 

Even Courtney failed to suppress her smile. "Alright, cool it, you two," she said. "Don't make me separate you."

Stifling a laugh, Pat squeezed Rick's shoulder before he pulled away and jerked a thumb towards where S.T.R.I.P.E was resting in the corner, covered by his tarp. "I'd appreciate your help if you've got a minute. I want to take a look at S.T.R.I.P.E's insides to figure out what was making that weird noise from the other day." Rick nodded, and Pat wandered away, whistling. 

Swinging his legs from the side of the workbench-turned-bed, Rick ran a heavy hand down his face, rubbing at the sleep at the corner of his eyes and the drool encrusted on his chin. "Did Beth tell you what I did last night?"

Faking anger, Yolanda crossed her arms over her chest to mimic Courtney. "You mean sneaking out in the middle of the night by yourself, lie an idiot?"

"I _meant_ the fact that I nearly knocked down a wall just by running into it," he retorted. "So yeah, I guess she did."

"Don't blame me," Beth said. "They bullied me into it. And Courtney is over-reacting."

"She tends to do that," Rick said. Courtney made a face. "I don't know what's upsetting you but I can _guarantee_ that it's not worth this reaction."

"I'm not _upset_ ," Courtney protested. "I'm _worried_. What if someone had seen you? What if a new bad-guy who had come to town saw Hourman out there by himself and decided to take you?"

"I wasn't wearing my uniform, so your hypothetical is flawed. What? My costume is mostly gold," Rick wiggled his fingers at their expressions. " _Incognito_."

"Rick?" Pat called fondly from a ladder that led up to S.T.R.I.P.E's maintenance hatch on its side. Pat was already on the top series of rungs. Laughing lightly, Rick slid off the counter, saluted the girls and went to help Pat with the robot.

The girls watched him go silently and when he was out of ear-shot, Courtney scowled. "I'm going to kick his ass one of these days."

While Beth reached a hand up to stifle her laugher, Yolanda didn't bother, and Courtney pouted at her. "I'd like to see you try."

As Beth and Yolanda began to walk away, Courtney threw her hands up in the air in protest. "What? You don't think I could beat him?" she complained. "The Cosmic Staff is _way_ more powerful than the Hourglass."

Giving up, she followed her friends back to their table. "Yeah, sure, but it's _Rick_ ," Yolanda said as Courtney approached. "Delinquent number one of Blue Valley. I think he's learned a thing or two about being mean."

"Yeah, and it's not _what_ you use, it's _how_ you use it," Beth added.

Resigned, Courtney collapsed on the seat opposite Yolanda and pulled out her school books. Beth up-ended her bag before carefully removing the contents of Rick's school bag and neatly laid them out on the table. She picked up his phone to check the time and frowned. "Hey Rick?" she called. "You've got lots of missed calls from your uncle."

From beside Pat's, Rick wandered over to them and took the phone when Beth held it out to him. He looked at the screen with a deep frown before he shook his head and handed it back. "Don't worry about it. I'll deal with it later."

"What does he want?" Yolanda asked. "He never rings you."

Rick shrugged. and returned to his place at Pat's side. "Probably needs me to do something for him and wants to know where I am."

"Where does he think you are?' Courtney asked. 

"Out," Rick said simply as he handed Pat a wrench.

Pat didn't pause his work, but he did glance down to peer at Rick from the gaps between S.T.R.I.P.E's arm. "He giving you trouble?"

"Nah," Rick said as Pat returned the wrench. "No more than usual."

Humming, Pat returned to his work. Cortney and Yolanda exchanged a glance before pulling out the rest of their school books, and Beth placed Rick's phone back down beside his things. Courtney glanced down at it before the screen shut off, and caught a glimpse of the background. An old, slightly yellowed polaroid of a young family standing in front of a very familiar yellow mustang. 

Beth shifted through papers. "Would you like me to go over your essay while you're working on S.T.R.I.P.E, Rick?"

Before he answered, he exchanged Pat's oil rag for a flash-light. "That would be great, if you've got the time, actually."

"Hold up," Courtney protested. "Now Beth is doing your homework?"

"She's _editing_ it, actually," Rick retorted. "But what's your deal? It's not like _you_ don't ask her for help with your assignments."

"Hey, no fighting," Beth smiled. "There's plenty of me to go around."

Yolanda offered her a high-five, which Beth gladly accepted. Pat was laughing with his head inside S.T.R.I.P.E's chest cavity. "Look at you guys. Bonding, getting along."

" _Pat_ ," Courtney moaned, embarrassed. 

"What? I'm very proud of you all," Pat held out his hand. "Allen key."

Courtney threw her head back and groaned as Yolanda laughed at her plight. Rick and Pat were sending glances at them in between fixing S.T.R.I.P.E, chatting away and laughing at their antics. Beth's heart had never felt so full, and even though he knew that her parents loved her very much, she had never experienced a love like this.

Is this what she had been missing all these years? That deep loneliness inside her that she had never managed to shake, that weighed her down like an anchor all her life? Is this what it was like to be happy?

She never would have suspected that sitting at the rejects table beside the angry closed-off delinquent and the once-popular scandalous outcast and later on the quirky new-girl would somehow lead her to this life, to her best friends that felt more like family than actual family, to these super special people that she loved with her whole heart. 

Smiling and loved, Beth returned her attention to her tablet and listened to her friends bicker lovingly in the background, and she was warm, and her heart was full.

**Author's Note:**

> Every car that I have described Pat working on has been cars that my family have owned at one point in time- the blood-red Pajero last fic, and in this one, the exact description of my mums ugly, ruined mint-vomit-green Magna. So there's a little easter-egg for you all.
> 
> (Also, though nothing happens 'on-screen' this was inspired by my desire to see Rick become a human wrecking ball and run straight through a wall.)


End file.
